Meet The Team

Data geeks with heart.

Methodologists, statisticians, developmental psychologists…we confess that we’re total data geeks—and proud of it. But we’re also human and care deeply about being part of research that contributes to the greater good. It’s why we’re drawn to youth development research in the first place.

We love digging into products and programs that have a positive impact on the first two decades of life – when youth are finding their way and yearning to thrive. And we love helping our clients design and deploy research studies that deliver insightful data for making informed decisions about taking their youth-centered products and programs to the next level.

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The best part? We always start wherever you are research-wise. For some clients, this means doing the research design from top to bottom, start to finish. (That’s ideal!) Other times, we come in mid-stream, analyzing data that’s already collected. Sometimes we come in at the tail end, helping you make sense of your findings, and preparing your work for effective dissemination.

Bottom line: Youth-focused research is our passion. So wherever you’re at with your project, we’d love to help.

We get REALLY excited about research and analysis.

These things get our blood pumping—in a good way!

  • Rigorous research programs that promote strategic change
  • Well-designed surveys that generate actionable insights
  • Sophisticated data analysis that drives better decision-making

Meet Our Amazing Team

You need talented experts in youth development research. Our team members live and breathe youth-focused research—and we have the credentials to prove it. Check out the bios for our team of experts below.

Alicia Doyle Lynch, PhD

The founder of Lynch Research Associates, Alicia has been contributing statistical and methodological expertise to grants and research programs in academic and non-academic settings for over 15 years.

Kristina Schmid Callina, PhD

Kristina is a developmental psychologist with expertise in developmental methods, including longitudinal study design and data analytic techniques.

Amanda Richer, MA

Amanda has been managing the development and implementation of federal, foundation, and industry-sponsored grants and research projects for over a decade.

Kayla Sansevere, MS

Kayla is currently pursuing a PhD in Experimental Psychology at Tufts University. Her research focuses on the efficacy and ethics of neurotechnology to modulate human cognition and behavior in everyday situations.

Hillary Schaefer, PhD

Hillary is a research scientist and licensed clinical psychologist with topic expertise in social-emotional functioning, bias, gender issues, personality, group dynamics, mental health, performance, exercise, and physiology.

Fabulous clients, meaningful work

Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine

As a professor and principal investigator who is constantly balancing teaching, research, and project management, it is a relief to be able to rely on Lynch Research Associates for support in data analysis across the life cycle of my projects, from grant writing to journal publication. The Lynch Research Associates team keeps up with cutting-edge techniques in data analysis, and their deep content knowledge in developmental science gives me confidence that they can recommend the right analysis approaches for our needs. Their team is responsive, organized, and easy to work with, even on projects with complex designs and multiple deadlines. They care about the content of the work and provide a customized approach to meeting our goals.

Dr. Megan Mueller

Dr. Megan Mueller
Professor, Department of Clinical Sciences at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University
Associate Director of the Tufts Institute for Human-Animal Interaction

Jon Zaff’s Lab (BU)

“Lynch Research Associates have provided us invaluable consultation surrounding data cleaning, management, and analysis for several complex research studies involving large amounts of data and multiple stakeholders. They are highly skilled in drawing out key insights and meaning from vast amounts of data. We look forward to continuing to collaborate with Lynch Research Associates for years to come.”

Jonathan F. Zaff

Dr. Jon Zaff, Director, CERES Institute for Children & Youth at Boston University

Commonwealth

“LRA was a pleasure to work with and played an essential role in developing our research questions and datasets into meaningful insights to inform our next phase of human-centered product development.”

Charles de la Cruz – Innovation Manager
Julianna Samper – Senior Innovation Manager
Commonwealth

The Leadership Development Institute for Young Women

“As developmental psychologists specializing in positive youth development, Lynch Research is the best of the best when it comes to rigorous quantitative analysis and thoughtful guidance on data collection and survey design. Because of the team’s world-class expertise we are able to assess the efficacy of our program, guide next steps and impact more students in ways that matter most.”

Julie Carrier

Julie Carrier
Founder of the Leadership Development Institute for Young Women
Thinkers50 Top 8 Coaches Globally
Recognized as the “Woman of the Decade for Girl Empowerment” by the Women Economic Forum

EVERFI

“Despite our limitations of budget and time, Lynch Research Associates delivered with flying colors on our shared project. I could not have been more pleased with their preparedness, hard work, professionalism and final results.”

Dr. Dan Zapp

Dr. Dan Zapp
Senior Director, Research & Evaluation
EVERFI

Milton Public Schools

“Over the past six years, we have partnered with Lynch Research Associates to analyze and report Milton Public School’s Youth Risk Behavior Surveys (YRBS) and Youth Health Survey (YHS). Their insights are always on target, relevant, and easy for a variety of audiences to digest. I would recommend working with them without hesitation.”

Milton Public Schools

Arthur Vining Davis Foundation

Lynch Research Associates has been our trusted partner in designing and executing a mixed-methods research study on program impact in higher education and they have over delivered every step of the way. Their creativity and leadership throughout the research process have generated valuable insights that will inform future work at the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations.

Dr. Michael Murray
President and CEO

Arthur Vining Davis Foundation

Wellesley Centers for Women

“As a Principal Investigator on numerous federally funded projects, I have partnered with Lynch Research Associates on grants and journal submissions for many years because they are professional, detail oriented and always keep up with the cutting-edge in data analysis.”

Dr. Jennifer Grossman

Dr. Jennifer Grossman
Wellesley Centers for Women